1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to novelty items for use with confectionary products. In particular, it relates to illuminable handle assemblies which hold multiple replaceable lollipops that can be retracted into enclosed storage areas.
2. Background Art
Lollipops have been a popular confectionary item for many years. This type of candy is popular for many reasons, including taste, portability, resistance to spoilage, etc. Prior art devices have been invented which provide features that can be used to make consumption of lollipops more enjoyable or to allow lollipops to be used for other purposes.
For example, musical lollipops are known which are constructed in the form of a flute or whistle such that the lollipop itself can produce sounds. Lollipop holders capable of producing sounds are also known. Typically, sound producing lollipops or lollipop holders are designed to provide amusement to the consumer.
Lighting devices and/or light emitting pops are also known. Typically, a light emission device would be integrated into a lollipop holder assembly such that the handle could be turned on to produce light when desired. As was the case with sound producing items, the use of light mechanisms in conjunction with a lollipop is typically done for amusement purposes.
Another use for lollipops has been as an alternative to traditional ingestion techniques for medicine. By ingesting medicine via medicated lollipops, children and disabled adults can be administered does of medicine in a more convenient manner.
As can be seen from the foregoing, a variety of devices and lollipops have been developed suit both entertainment and practical needs. However, while there are many devices related to lollipops, the devices do not address a particular problem which is caused the long period of time it takes to consume a lollipop. In particular, lollipops last a long time and due to this they tend to be consumed incrementally. Between consumption sessions, the user is faced with the problem of what to do with the lollipop which is sticky and tends to adhere to dirt and biological contamination. This is especially troublesome for children who by their nature will be more haphazard than adults when handling lollipops.
Known containers provide a case for holding a lollipop which could be worn around the consumers neck similar to a necklace. Disadvantages to this approach are the inconvenience of carrying the device in this manner. Further, since the lollipop is loose within the outer shell of the device, the inside surface of the shell can become sticky and inconvenient to handle. It would be desirable to have a lollipop holder which overcame the disadvantages of messiness and inconvenient methods of transport common to this device by providing a method of storing a lollipop without getting the consumers fingers sticky and also by providing a method of storage which could be conveniently used in a variety of ways.
Prior lollipop devices use a single pop having a single flavor. If a consumer desired to have more than one flavor, multiple lollipops would have to be carried. Likewise, a parent with more than one child would have to carry multiple lollipops, one for each child, resulting in an inconvenient and messy collection of candy which would have to be discarded or stored between uses.
The prior art has failed to provide a lollipop holder device which provides a clean holder for multiple replaceable lollipops, amusement devices such as illuminable holders, and a convenient storage compartment which is available when consumption of the lollipop is interrupted.